An Interview with Herman KriegerOregon-based Documentary Photographer

Herman Krieger is a photographer who deserves to be known better. I asked him if he would like to
be interviewed so that I could share his work and his musings with you, my visitors, and the
transcript is given below. If you would like to see more photographs by Herman Krieger, please
be sure to check out his website - there are some real gems there! The link is at the bottom of
the page.

Me: Thanks for agreeing to this interview Herman! First of all, can you tell us about how you came to rediscover photography in 1990?

Herman: When I worked in photography for seven years in the 1940s, photography was
considered a craft or trade rather than a fine art. I printed commercial
and press photos on a production basis. The prints had be made with high
quality, with little waste of material or time. The negatives were
anything from 4x5 to 8x10, and aerial rolls. Photography was a job, and
never a hobby. For a while, I also worked free lance for two weekly
newspapers in Detroit. After I learned a better way to make a living, I
only used a camera (with Kodakchrome) when on vacation with the family.

After retiring in 1990, I started taking computer science courses in the
University of Oregon. I saw that photography was offered in the art
department, and went to see what it was about. I switched to the Department of Fine Arts,
and received a BFA in 1994. I didn't learn anything new about photo
techniques. The value of the courses was learning to set a goal for a
cohesive set of photographs, and prepare them for an exhibition.
Afterwards I was a member of a local photo group, PhotoZone Galleries,
gave an incentive to take photos for an exhibition. Having my own website
also gave an incentive to continue making photo essays.

Horse Opera(tion): from A Day in the Life of a Mobile Veterinarian by Herman Krieger

Me: Can you tell us about your method of working? Do you only work in black and white (monochrome)? Have
you embraced digital photography or do you always use film? Do you use a large format camera?

Herman: I still use a film camera, but now I scan the black and white negatives
and handle them with Photoshop, rather than print them. For outdoor
photos, I prefer using a medium format camera that takes 8-10 pictures
per roll. For photo essays, a cardinal rule is to take many photos.
However, I only take one or two photos at a time. I spend more time
looking at a scene than in making exposures. This saves a lot of time in
editing, and I've found that most often the first exposure I make is the
best one. When the photo essay concerned people on the move or in poorly
lit areas, I used a 35 mm camera, such as the Leica. An objection I have to using a digital
camera is that it is too easy to click away without forcing me to take
time to study the scene. I only carry a camera when I am working on a particular
theme. I don't take photos at random, there has to be a specific purpose
for the photo. I don't print any photos now. When I need prints for an
exhibition, I have them made at Costco or Wal-mart.

CAT Scan: from A Day in the Life of a Mobile Veterinarian by Herman Krieger

Me: Can you tell us how you came to have such an unerring eye for great compositions? Does it
come naturally to you or did you study compositional technique?

Herman: The lessons I had in composition was in two required art classes
(composition in black and white, and composition in color), while studing
math at the University Of California in Berkeley. The main principle that I
remember was to fill the frame. When I worked as photo printer, I had to
know how to judiciously crop a photo. Other than that, I may have been
influenced by Life magazine. In composing a photo for black and white, I
think about the lines. With color, I would think in terms of areas. For
me, photos must have both content and composition. Pictorial
photographers seem to concentrate on composition. Some of the best of
them, like Ansel Adams were also musicians. But having a tin ear, most
water falls sound and look alike to me. The captions I add to photos are
meant to add to the content of the images.

Reminiscing (Frances O'Brien, died 1995): from Blue River Anthology by Herman Krieger

Me: Do you do much post processing (darkroom or photo editor) or do
you try to leave the image more or less as it was when you pressed
the shutter release?

Herman: I use Photoshop to process the scanned negatives. The manipulation of the
image is pretty much the same that I would do if I were printing the
photos in a darkroom. That is, cropping, burning in, and dodging.
Correcting a perspective with Photoshop is much easier than with tilting
an easel under an enlarger. Photoshop allows reformatting photos
depending on whether they are destined for a website, or to be printed.
When I started my website, most modems were rather slow. I had to format
the photos so they could be downloaded as quickly as possible. Now with
DSL or cable, it is not so important.

Me: Can you tell us what project you are working on at the moment?

Herman: I am planning a trip to Cuba in the near future with a small group of
photographers. I expect to spend all my time wandering around Havana.

Me: Sounds exciting! I look forward to seeing the fruits of your trip, and just
want to say thank you for taking the time to do this interview.